After a very slow start, the Kings scored first on a DeMarcus Cousins lay-in at the 10:40 mark of the first. The Kings pounded the ball into the paint early in the game and rookie DeMarcus Cousins responded, hitting the Kings first field goals before exiting with 2 fouls at the 8:30 mark. The Kings did a poor job on the offensive glass, allowing the Clippers far too many second chance opportunities. Fortunately, the Clippers, much like the Kings, couldn’t make either their first or second shots in the opening period. Carl Landry came in early for Jason Thompson and quickly got Blake Griffin to pick up two fouls. Once the lane cleared out a little, Tyreke Evans began to take the ball to the rim, scoring. The Kings played aggressive defense late in the quarter and got out on the break to open up an 8 point lead, but ended the quarter only up 4 after a late barrage by the Clippers.

Kings 20 Clippers 16

Second Quarter Recap

The Clippers continued their late first quarter push, taking a 24-22 lead early in the second. Carl Landry began to get it going in the second, scoring from both the inside and outside. At the midway point of the quarter, the Clippers had opened up a 6 point lead and pushed it to 7 a minute later. The Kings kept it close on solid play by Cousins, Casspi and Landry for most of the quarter, but their struggles in grabbing offensive rebounds stopped them from regaining the lead. The Clippers led by 6 at the half with Blake Griffin playing only a cursory role due to foul trouble.

The Clippers came out hot again in the third, abusing the Kings defense with dribble penetration. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins single-handedly tried to keep the Kings in the game with his post play and rebounding. At the 7:30 mark, the Kings trailed by 13 after Beno Udrih allowed yet another score at the rim. The listless play that was present during the Dallas game on Saturday was back tonight. Landry, Cousins and Casspi seemed like the only three Kings players who came ready to play big minutes tonight. At the end of three quarters, the Kings were getting pounded by the Clippers, who were up by 16.

Kings 63 Clippers 79

Fourth Quarter Recap

The Kings started the fourth feeding DeMarcus Cousins inside play after play. The big man responded with an array of post moves to pace the Kings. Pooh Jeter scored a quick five and at the 9:44 mark, the Kings trailed by only seven. In the most shocking of events, the Kings took a three point lead at the 4:05 mark. Yes. A lead. The Kings went on an amazing 25-6 run on the back of rookie Pooh Jeter and his raw speed. With Omri Casspi running the floor and smothering team defense, the Kings out-hustled, out-shot and out-rebounded the Clippers in the fourth. At the three minute mark, Jeter had a costly turnover that led to a monster breakaway dunk by Eric Gordon to cut the Kings lead to 1 at 88-87. With 90 seconds left, the game was tied at 91. After a spectacular move by DeMarcus Cousins in the post that just barely rolled out, Eric Gordon came down and hit a 25-foot three pointer to give the Clippers a 94-91 lead with 28.1 seconds left. In a heart breaker, the Kings lost by 7 after making an amazing fourth quarter run.

Player of the Game: Eric Gordon. The Clippers guard scored 29 points on 10-17 shooting from the field and 7-7 from the line. It was his steal and dunk that swung the momentum back to the Clippers and his free throw shooting down the stretch that put the game out of reach. Had the Kings won, Omri Casspi would have taken the player of the game award. He scored 21 points (8-11 fg, 2-4 3pt) and grabbed 10 rebounds to aid the Kings. Casspi’s speed and ability to finish on the break is something the Kings need to see on a nightly basis.

The Difference Maker: Pooh Jeter. The Kings rookie was amazing both offensively and defensively. Pooh tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals to bring the Kings back in the fourth. His energy and speed changed the pace of the game and almost led to a Kings victory.

About: James Ham

James Ham is the senior editor of Cowbell Kingdom, providing extensive Kings coverage through news analysis, in-depth interviews with players and staff and daily coverage of breaking news since 2010. Along with providing original content for the site, including the Cowbell Kingdom Podcast and his weekly Sunday Musings column, James also contributes to ESPN.com and is one of the producers behind the award-winning, independent documentary film "Small Market, Big Heart".

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About CK

Founded in 2009, Cowbell Kingdom is a member of the ESPN TrueHoop Network. Its goal is to provide frontline, on-the-ground coverage of the Kings that leads to interesting and thought-provoking discussion amongst readers.